There’s no better place to start an exploration
of Jewish life than “In the Beginning…”
Follow the biblical story of creation with a three-dimensional,
multi-media display. Press a button to transform darkness
into light. Look through a “telescope” to
see the moon, planets, and stars. Peer into a lush aquarium,
pet realistic looking animals and much more.

Shabbat

After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh
day, and so the museum’s look at the creation
story concludes with a fun-filled presentation of Shabbat,
the Jewish day of rest. Walk on a giant table set for
the Shabbat meal and discover the many wonderful symbols,
rituals and customs.

Giant lava lamp candles catch the eye and feature surprises
hidden in their bases. Climb on one challah and braid
another. Watch a video about wine presented in a huge
kiddush cup and use matzoh ball computers to print
out recipes for traditional dishes and learn about Shabbat
traditions from around the world.

Jewish Holidays

Stroll through a replica of an old-fashioned shtetl- a
village- to explore the Jewish holiday cycle. Weave
your way in and out of storefronts and homes, peer through
windows and visit “outdoor” displays. Investigate
a shofar-maker’s workbench. Sit in a beautifully
decorated sukkah, and “shop” for the perfect
lulav and etrog. Press olive oil for Chanukah and become
a news correspondent in a real newsroom in order to
publicize the miracle of Chanukah. Retell the Purim
story with puppets, and search for information on a
large, interactive Passover Seder plate with plenty
to lift up, look under and flip open. Play a virtual
reality bow-and-arrow game for Lag B’Omer and
try writing your name in Hebrew like a Torah scribe
(an easy to follow chart shows you exactly what to do).

Chanukah Newsroom - As part of the holiday exhibits,
visitors will learn about the miracle of Chanukah. One
aspect of observing Chanukah is to publicize the miracle- this
is why we light menorahs near a window. Children will
get to do this in the museum by becoming television
newscasters! Video monitors will feature a news anchor
reporting on the “breaking news” of the
Maccabees revolt against the Syrians. He will then cut
to field anchors for reports. Museum visitors will then
be prompted, with easy-to-follow instructions, to record
their own 60-second reports, which they can make up
or read from a monitor. These segments will then be
integrated into the “newscast.”

Kosher Supermarket

Enjoy role-playing fun and gain an understanding of the
basics of the Jewish dietary laws. Stock up on kosher
products with scaled-down shopping carts, artificial food,
working scales and checkout scanners. At the checkout
scanner, instead of ringing up prices, answer questions
about various items on a touch-screen monitor.

Kosher Kitchen

With the shopping done, it’s time to head to
the kosher kitchen. Sort the two sets of dishes and
utensils into the appropriate cupboards.

Open the refrigerator and get a real surprise—it
talks! And it has a great sense of humor too! Set the
table for Shabbat dinner and watch a kosher cooking
show featuring real kids as chefs.

World of Good

With a city skyline as a backdrop, explore fundamental
good deeds that are universal to people of all faiths
yet are grounded in biblical teachings, including honoring
parents and teachers, faith, charity, visiting the sick,
watching one’s speech and respecting animals and
resources. Play “pushke-pinball” to give charity
to a worthy cause. Create a get-well card for children
in a local hospital. Figure out the path through a maze
by identifying the proper way to behave towards parents
and teachers.